I Want to Love Him Until He Pops; Or How Do I Love Thee....

I honestly didn't think it would get much cooler than that cake smashing on his birthday....but even that surreal moment has been LAPPED by the 1000s of moments since then.  

I think about it a lot -- what I love most about him.  

Is it that he shrugs his shoulders when I ask him a question?  

What about when he shakes his head "no" because that's his favorite word? (Or maybe he likes to tell me "no" to everything?)

Maybe it's that what he lacks in mobility, he makes up for in his expansive vocabulary (and by "expansive," I totally mean he's up to 8 words - genius! - ...and none of them start with F, which makes me Mother of the Year).

Or, it could be his tenacious love of hats and sunglasses (and the Yankees)....like his Daddy:

  

Channeling his southern roots....and a total party animal at Loudon's 7th Birthday Party!

 As you can see, we face forward now in our big boy car seat.  Since he's all "big" and all "boy" -- that infant car seat wasn't cutting it.  His poor legs were crawling up the back seat, which posed particularly interesting when Lucky was riding along with us and wanted to pester Jack in the back seat.  (I swear between Jack, Lucky and Matt - I actually have THREE children)

Quite possibly....it's the fact that he will try with ALL his might to push Lucky out of the way if he's hindering the walker or blocking a toy.  And if that doesn't work -- he will yell until Lucky obliges.  He will ALSO run Lucky RIGHT over with his lawn mower.  Lucky has adapted well though - he's much quicker to his feet these days. :)

I think what I love the most though is that Jack is the perfect combination of Matthew and I.  He's totally laid back like Matthew but a rule follower and cautious like me.  He is a lover, not a fighter -- which makes him more like Matt in that regard.  And, Jack has never met a person he didn't like -- again, making him more Matt than me (but at least I can admit it).  Jack DID give a few people in TJMaxx the "one eyebrow raise" look once -- which made me break out into cheers, because "dirty looks" - that's all me.  A couple of recent examples: 

  

And, while he hasn't met a PERSON he didn't like -- he did meet a few characters from Sesame Street that he wasn't all that interested in....  From his perspective, who the hell is ok with a gigantic blue furball that only eats cookies?!  Not Jack.

Jack:  "Where the hell is mom?"

 On the other hand, an eight foot tall bird with socks on -- now that, we can get into:

Another thing I love about this kid....he goes with the flow.  Like, waiting for the action to start at Busch Gardens:

Or, he is excited to hang in 30 degree weather for a couple of hours while riding around in a snow tube:

Or go swimming for over an hour with nothing but gusto!

 

Or, he can chill in his recliner catching up on Sesame Street on his iPad.  (Oh, do not judge me!  Of COURSE he watches TV.  I do all SORTS of things the experts tell me not to, but I'm the expert on Jack -- so he gets to watch Sesame Street and Criminal Minds.  Ok, not the last one - but I had you there for a second.)

He can also eat himself silly into a coma at Cracker Barrel, like everyone else.

Or, just chill and watch some golf with Daddy on a lazy Sunday:

I have desperately tried to let him be a baby for as long as he wants to be a baby....because I'm not at all interested in forcing the growing up (and away!) part, but the kid needed a hair cut -- so a hair cut we got:

 

Honestly?  I'm still riding high on the fact that his first word wasn't "fuck"....and, some days, you just gotta take the wins where you can get them.

(And, yes, I really wrote the word out....it's gonna be ok.  The internet police have been notified)

Until next time....Mr. Smiles is off to his next adventure to Richmond in April for Ashley's wedding (and more quality time with Meme and Granddaddy M!)